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Introduction to the Workshop and Discussion
Following on from the success of previous workshops held during IFLA 1998 and 1999, and ALA Midwinter 1999, another Library Link/MCB workshop was held on Friday 14 January 2000 during the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The format used allows for online discussion before and after the workshop itself. The main subjects for debate are:
DISCUSSION GROUP 1 SUMMARY It was agreed from the outset that archiving as a means of ensuring the permanent accessibility of digital materials, was to be the focus of discussion. It was suggested that print-outs of digital resources could be archived. However, this would not take in the features of information resources which are purely digital in nature, e.g. hyperlinks. It was also noted that digital resources can be static or dynamic. The Web sites of Y2K US Presidential candidates are an example of the latter. These will be important resources for scholars in the future, the authenticity of which also needs to be preserved. Software exists which takes snapshots of the visible Web, but that is only one part of the process.
The issue of responsibility for archiving was discussed. Since it has yet to be resolved, it was noted that in the interim, MCB-UP is providing libraries with a copy of the digital resource they subscribe/d to via CD-ROM (tagged data and software to enable it). RLG is currently working on guidelines to define what constitutes a digital archive and standards. They will cover:
It was noted that a 3rd party, rather than either libraries or publishers, should be the lead body. A non-profit was felt to be most appropriate, though not OCLC. JSTOR is a partial model of what is needed. See BIC http://www.bic.org.uk/digpres The question was also asked - what if the archive develops an economic value in its own right?
DISCUSSION GROUP 2 SUMMARY It was established that journals and articles are different methods of organising the body of knowledge. Others are pre-prints, coursepacks, and footnotes. Each has its pros and cons, but the intrinsic value is in the scholarship which goes into the work being "organised". Nevertheless, value can be added to a work of scholarship. Preprints do not add any value. They are atomic, not peer-reviewed/authenticated. Journals add value by bringing together a set of articles which are quality controlled/authenticated by the peer review process. The serendipity which a journal brings also adds value.
Aggregating journals into databases builds on this propensity for serendipity, as databases cut across journals and disciplines. With the advent of reference linking this is enhanced even further. Therefore the issue is not one of article v. journal, when the former is still part of the latter. The real issue is Economics v. Scholarship and Science. PRODUCTS TO END USERS
DISCUSSION GROUP 3 SUMMARY The group felt that the marketing of electronic resources should be a collaborative effort between publishers and libraries. Publishers should provide strategic and conceptual - not just product-focused � input. Publishers can also help with examples of best practice, which libraries can customise, e.g. tutorials. Posters and flyers are the physical methods preferred. Marketing on the Web is expensive; therefore collaborative efforts are needed between libraries. Marketing efforts need to be targeted at each of the distinct segments of the market for electronic resources: students, researchers and teachers. Each has different needs, which need to be assessed. Publishers should market to users direct, in collaboration with the library, as well as to librarians.
Marketing efforts should be benefits-oriented. Therefore for students they need to focus on their need for information which is quickly accessible, at the time they want it, in the format they want it, where they want it. Marketing efforts to faculty need to be informing, as many do not feel they need educating. Marketing efforts also need to be directed to the funders of libraries, and combine print and electronic rather than dealing with each medium separately. TO FULL TEXT ARTICLES
DISCUSSION GROUP 4 SUMMARY The group felt that secondary indexes can add more value in the electronic world than they did in print only. They are a means of searching across information resources irrespective of medium � they connect print and electronic. They are also a means of searching multiple publishers' information resources, and searching across disciplines simultaneously.
Because many now link to full text, users are starting to see them as one-stop-shops: a way of accessing information from start to finish. The value of secondary indexes is therefore enhanced when they are both an index and a repository. It was noted, however, that different disciplines are used to looking at different depths of information. Also that what is easy to get because of all the above, is not necessarily the best. It was suggested that secondary index publishers would add even more value, if they linked to other quality resources on a subject for users. If you wish to comment on any of the matters raised in the ALA 2000 workshop please visit the Library Link ALA Discussion Area where you can discuss the issues with other like-minded individuals. If you are wishing to discuss one of the four main points outlined above then please click on the relevant point, entitled:
Details of previous Library Link workshops and discussions can be found be clicking the following links:
The Library Link Workshop Series
Details of further Library Link workshops will Library Link site nearer to the event. Anyone interested in attending should contact Eileen Breen at [email protected].
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